1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to embroidery lace machines driven by electric signals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional embroidery lace machine locates the embroidering position, has a punching machine to embroider the desired pattern, and uses a pattern card with a pattern of holes for the stitches of the embroidery.
Recently, an embroidery machine designed to save man-power for punching and called an electronic punching machine has appeared, which has a built-in computer and allows one to make pattern paper to fill the interior embroidery stitching by locating several positions by inputting the width of the embroidery and the distance from the next thread. Therefore, the pattern itself can be made in a short time by use of a computer. However, it is required to make a pattern card with predetermined holes, and this was inefficient because of the time necessary for preparing the pattern card.
The conventional embroidery machine is provided with supporting members 2 and 2' at the front and back ends of the base stand 1, and lower support members 4 and 4', each having a plurality of grooves 3 and being fixed to the supporting members 2 and 2'. Each pair of grooves 3 is fitted with selection plates 4 which are free to move on the support members. The upper surfaces of the selection plate 5 are supported by upper guide members 7 and 7' having grooves 6 corresponding to the grooves 3 of the lower guide members 4 and 4'. Further, to one end of each selection plate 5 is attached a horizontally oriented operation bar 8. A wire fork 9 is attached to the upper face of the other end of each plate 5 and the other end of each wire fork 9, although not shown in the drawings, is connected to a signal originating device which controls a jacquard. Rotating cylinder 11, onto which pattern cards 10 are held, faces the distal end of the operation bar 8. Reset bar 12 is positioned below the wire fork 9. The reset bar 12 and rotating cylinder 11 are connected by connecting rods 14 and 14' which are inserted through the brackets 13 and 13'.
At the reset bar 12 side end of both connecting bars 14 and 14' are pivotally attached links 15 and 15'. Links 15 and 15' are also pivotally attached to the supporting pieces 17 and 17' which are fixed to a rotary shaft 16. The rotary shaft 16 is pivotally attached to the upper end of the up and down bar 17 through the lever 16' at the end of the shaft 16. The lower end of the up and down bar 18 is pivotally attached to rocking piece 21 which is caused to pivot about its central axis by contact with the cam 20 on the main shaft 19. Shaft 16 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise by the up and down motion of the up and down bar 18 via the lever 16', and the connecting bars 14 and 14' are thus caused to reciprocate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1.
Incidentally, element 22 in the drawing is the holding plate of selection plates 5. Plate 22 is fixed to the projecting support pieces 23 and 23' which are fixed to the brackets 13 and 13'.
In the prior art, the up and down bar 18 is moved up and down by the rotation of the main shaft 19, and the rotary shaft 16 is rotated to horizontally reciprocate the connecting bars 14 and 14', and to make rotating cylinder 11 and reset bar 12 reciprocate. Then, the rotating cylinder 11 and reset bar 12 are moved to the left side in the Figures.
When this happens, the selection plate 5 in the place where no hole exists on the pattern card 10 is shifted to the left by pattern card 10 via the operation bar 8 and the wire fork 9 is moved as shown in FIG. 2(B), so as to control the signal originating device. The selection plate 5 which is located at a position corresponding to a hole of the pattern card 10 does not move, because the operation bar 8 enters the hole as shown in FIG. 2(C). Therefore, the wire fork 9 does not move.
Accordingly, a signal is sent out corresponding to the position where the selection plate 5 and the wire fork 9 do not move, to control the jacquard through various mechanisms.
After the signal is sent out, connecting bars 14 and 14' are moved to the right side by the rotation of main shaft 19, and the moved selection plates 5 are returned to their original places by the reset bar 12, and one cycle is completed.
Therefore, the movement of the selection plate 5 is performed by the pattern card 10, resulting in the use of the same pattern card 10 repeatedly so that the pattern card deteriorates. Therefore, it is necessary to have many of the same pattern cards prepared. Further, the width of the pattern card must be larger than the selection plate for pushing the selection plate, and must be thick. Thus, the pattern paper of one pattern must be made large, and the mechanism has the disadvantage of requiring a large storage area.